Interview with guest Tom Bannon, Vice President, AFTER-MOUSE.COM on PLAY for Good, an initiative of AFTER-MOUSE.COM Twitter: @AFTER_MOUSE. I “met” Tom through an email when he read this blog and reached out to me. I think that his products are a great match for Child Life in Hospitals, so I offered to spotlight him on this blog. So, Heeeeeeeeeere’s Tom!

Tell us a little about who you are.

I have been working in the technology and software licensing space for over 20 years. My career is about helping partners and customers make technology work for their business and their customers. Through my work, I have seen how technology can be transformative – making an experience more enjoyable for or helping connect people when communication barriers seemed impenetrable, among so many other benefits. I believe in my work, because I believe there is a lot of positive potential when technology is used for good.

What is AFTER-MOUSE.COM? How did you get involved with them?

AFTER-MOUSE.COM is a fast-growing industry leader in multi-touch technology applications. I joined five years ago to lead the U.S. sales team and be a part of business at the cutting-edge of multi-user collaborative technology.

We work with retail, real estate, automotive, financial, education, healthcare and other industries to provide unique customer experiences through interactive and collaborative touch-table applications. With more than 180 custom applications and 20 multi-touch, multi-player games for all age groups, our PLAY touch-table brings customers, families and colleagues together to experience truly collaborative activities. Whether it is in a waiting room or at a resort, our PLAY table delivers an experience that builds community and pure fun. Check out this video of guest using the PLAY table in a Novotel lobby: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40OniciXvDA

How did you get involved with Hospitals?

AFTER-MOUSE.COM has worked with hospitals and medical centers for more than 5 years. We have PLAY touch-tables in pediatric departments, waiting rooms and child life centers throughout the U.S. This is an important partnership for us as we work to promote the empowering and healing benefits of collaborative, playful learning.

Sometimes a hospital can be a scary and uncomfortable place for a child. Promoting collaborative, playful learning in these environments can provide positive emotional experiences and healing to help children cope.

What are the benefits in your eyes of these interactive games? Any downsides?

The positive benefits of technology-based collaborative play inspired us to launch PLAY for Good, an AFTER-MOUSE.COM initiative working with partners to place multi-player touch-tables in nonprofit children’s hospitals and youth centers. The PLAY for Good team helps connect funders and donors with nonprofit hospitals and children’s health organizations that can use PLAY tables to promote collaborative play through our educational, multi-player children’s games.

Today, 91% of children between the ages of 2 and 17 play technology-based games. Despite the rapid uptake of technology, there is still little guidance on how to effectively harness technology as a tool for improving learning through play. Most guidance for children’s interaction with technology is based on “screen time,” the amount of time a child should spend looking at a digital screen. However, technology has progressed beyond the linear, sedentary relationship between child and screen, frequently thought of as watching television.

Technology-based play is not restricted to single user, sedentary experiences; rather technology can facilitate highly interactive and collaborative play activities that enable peer-to-peer learning. Unlike adult-child interactions, peer-to-peer learning allows for a balanced power dynamic which helps children refine planning, negotiation, and cooperation skills.

In a hospital environment, technology-based games can help a child cope with a stressful or uncomfortable situation. Children grappling with chemotherapy-related nausea or preoperative anxiety, for example, have had success playing technology-based games to help with emotional management.

What are your hopes for this product?

Our PLAY touch-table and children’s game bundle can provide entertainment to children in waiting rooms and lobbies – but they can also promote cognitive development, improves quality of life and can help a child manage emotional stress, when used appropriately.

In a world where technology is increasingly integrated into the way we live, we want to help promote the positive benefits it can yield. Interactive, technology-based collaborative, playful learning has changed the nature of children’s relationship with a device. When used appropriately, interactive technology can provide positive elements to children’s play and learning by facilitating exploration and experimentation in a dynamic digital multi-player experience.

What would you like Child Life Specialists to know about Play touch-tables?

We want to work together. While the body of research on the impact of technology-based play on child development is still in early stages, there is research confirming that, when used appropriately, interactive technology can be a valuable tool in promoting playful learning. PLAY touch-tables, when added to existing Child Life programs, have enhance a child’s experience in the hospital. Our PLAY for Good team understands the resources constraints of nonprofit organizations, so they can help identify funding opportunities with your development team and provide guidance on how the PLAY touch-table can be leveraged to support on-going fundraising goals through sponsorship programs.

Play for Good Program PDF

Tell us a bit about your international work.

We have worked with many companies around the world through our offices and partners in the US, Europe, Dubai and many other regions as well. We have now delivered projects in over 40 countries.  We continue to expand into new markets with our products.